RODENTIA 295 



other crops, and in the winter, the bark of trees. 4 In Alaska some birch 

 trees have been "entirely stripped of bark" by porcupines. 5 In New 

 York one was observed eating lily pads. 6 Locally, where abundant, they 

 do considerable damage to forest trees, and injure buildings wherever 

 salt has gotten on the wood. At a ranger station thirteen were killed 

 while gnawing the front porch where sacks of salt had been stored, 

 and one, attracted by the salty taste of the sweaty handles of a plow, 

 gnawed them off. 7 Another gnawed the steering wheel of an automo- 

 bile nearly off. 8 An orchard was unmolested for seven years, with por- 

 cupines all about it. Then in about sixteen days of late September and 

 October they killed 140 plum and cherry trees, and damaged apple 

 trees by climbing to the tops and nibbling the fruit spurs. 9 They some- 

 times damage field and garden crops, as well as trees. The contents of 

 20 stomachs weighed 10 per cent as much as the total weight of the 

 bodies, including contents. Because of their fondness for salt, a salt- 

 strychnine mixture is excellent for poisoning them. 10 In some locali- 

 ties they are protected by law or public sentiment, while in other lo- 

 calities they become abundant and are so destructive that it is deemed 

 advisable to thin them out. 



Porcupine quills often seriously injure dogs that attack them, and 

 perhaps other mammals, as well as eagles. 11 The quills have been much 

 used by the American Indians in the ornamentation of clothing, moc- 

 casins, tobacco pouches, war bonnets, baskets and other articles, "one 

 of the most distinctive of native American arts/' 1 



FAMILY HYSTRICIDAE OLD WORLD PORCUPINES 



The African porcupine (Hystrix cristata) is almost entirely vege- 

 tarian and does a great deal of damage to gardens. 13 "The flesh, baked 

 in clay, is a popular food in Africa." 14 



4 Bailey, N. Amer. Fauna, No. 49, p. 114, 1926. 



8 Murie, The porcupine in Alaska, Journ: Mammalogy, vn, 109-113, 1926. See also 

 Halt, The relation of mammals to the Harvard Forest, Roosevelt Wild Life Bull., 

 v, 652-656, 1930. 



6 Schoonmaker, Journ. Mammalogy, xi, 84, 1930. 



7 Gabrielson, Porky, Forest and Stream, Jan., 1929, p. 22. 



8 Wyman, A hungry porcupine, Journ. Mammalogy, iv, 190, 1923. 

 "Mosteller, Porcupines in relation to Wyoming orchards, 7th Biennial Kept. 



Wyoming State Board Horticulture, pp. 25-27, 1918. 



10 Gabrielson, Notes on the habits and behavior of the porcupine in Oregon, 

 Journ. Mammalogy, ix, 33-38, 1928. 



11 Lano, Golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) and porcupine, The Auk, xxxix, 258- 

 259, 1922. 



2 Ingersoll, The life of animals, p. 415, 1907. 



13 Drake-Brockman, The mammals of Somaliland, p. 145, 1910. 



"Jennison, Natural history: animals, p. 180, 1927. 



